Sony Posts $780M Profit On Strong PlayStation And Sensor Businesses

Sony today reported a $780 million operating profit for Q1 2015, up 39 percent annually, as the company’s camera sensor business and PlayStation 4 arm pushed it past analyst expectations.

The Japanese firm posted quarterly revenue of $14.5 billion, down a mere 0.1 percent year-on-year. Back in February, the firm announced a major restructure with a focus on entertainment and its financial results reflected that. Sony said that increased business for its music division — which saw income jump 173 year-on-year to $256 million — devices business which sells camera sensors for smartphones — up 164 percent to $244 million — and games division — up 350 percent to $157 million — were the stellar performers.

Other units didn’t fare as well. The company’s movie business — Sony Pictures — posted a $94 million loss, while its mobile division lost $184 million as sales slumped 16 percent year-on-year. Sony attributed its mobile struggles to a “strategic decision not to pursue scale in order to improve profitability.” The company’s fortunes aren’t likely to change any time soon, since its latest consumer flagship — the Z3+ — is an iterative upgrade that doesn’t offer much new on the original Z3.